Akron, World's Largest Dirigible, Pays First Call on Capital

This black and white photograph shows the U.S.S. Akron flying above the White House. The Akron, a U.S. Navy helium-filled airship that also carried reconnaissance aircraft, was the largest dirigible in the world at the time, and was christened on August 8, 1931 by First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. The ship was only in service for two years before it was destroyed in a storm on April 3, 1933 that killed 73 members of the 76-man crew.